Various types of fingering aids for musical instruments are known in the prior art. Most include multi-colored indicia that associate finger position for a particular note or interval with a particular, repeating color. Associating colors and sounds does not associate the actual theory of the chromatic scale but rather reinforces facility and ease absent a conceptual framework informing the music. Other devices in the prior art simply position indicia illustrating note names beneath the strings of stringed instruments. But these prior art also fail to properly associate the musical theory underpinning the chromatic scale; by simply illustrating a note's position the student simply searches for the requisite letter and places a finger there. The relationship of notes may or may not be associated beyond a simple seek-and-find mentality whereby the semitone intervals between notes and the relative arrangement of scales over repeating intervals are often overlooked.
Additionally, devices extant in the prior art typically identify particular frets with which to associate the particular note or, on fretless instruments, the general area where the note may be sounded. However, a range of finger positions upon and around such notations may not consistently render tones in tune or sound in perfect pitch. Oftentimes a student's finger may be misaligned when stopping an associated string. A marginal distance off an exact position affects the tunefulness of the note played, even if only nominally by several microtones. However, when playing in ensemble, or in orchestra, these minor deviations of position can constructively and deconstructively interfere harmonically to become the difference between a pleasing euphony and an unpleasant experience. This is often the case with younger performers who, while playing instruments nonetheless tuned correctly, oftentimes habitually position their fingers to stop the strings slightly deviated from perfect pitch.
What is needed, therefore, is an improved music fingering aid that includes a decal securable to the fingerboard of a stringed instrument in a position underlying the strings to identify finger positions that are articulated to stop the overlying string and sound perfect pitch as well as to associate musical intervals relatively, to reinforce hand-to-ear association, rather than simply identify single notes. The instant invention, therefore, includes a decal having an upper surface whereon string identifier indicia, a graduated position indicia series, and a plurality of interval demarcations collectively instill music theory and associate notation with the act of playing the instrument and sounding the notes, while guiding play of the instrument thereby. A decal extension is included to optionally extend the demarked finger positions upon the finger board of the associated stringed instrument at least up to the seventh position. A simplified decal is included to expedite instruction for strings sections for ensemble play.